Highlighting Bellator’s return trip to the Great Lakes State will
be the lightweight tournament quarterfinals, featuring headliners
Patricky
Freire and Guillaume
DeLorenzi, among others. Here is what to watch for during the
Spike TV broadcast:

Pitbull’s Peak

Before we get to the main event itself, I would never forgive
myself if I did not laud the potential of both Freire and DeLorenzi
as antagonist characters in a “Punch-Out!!” style video game
series, should Bellator ever decide to go down that path, as we
should all hope they do. Pay attention, Bellator, because this is
important. No more of that downloadable 3-D arcade-simulation
hybrid stuff. I want two dimensions, star-punches and pink sweat
suit running montages, capeche?

Regarding the actual fight, let us first examine our featherweight
Bald Bull equivalent. There are so many things to love about
“Pitbull” and his style. He is powerful and aggressive to a fault,
willing to trade even at his own expense. As a result, the
Brazilian has lost three of his last four fights. The strategy that
earned him a 9-1 mark to start his career has since backfired, as
high-level opposition has found ways to either avoid or effectively
absorb his power punching and counter him when he overextends.

There should be a lot of pressure on Freire going into this
tournament, especially in the quarterfinals. What will become of
him if he loses this fight? Despite Freire owning one of Bellator’s
best-known monikers, the prospect of effectively promoting a
fighter sporting a 1-4 record in his last five fights would seem to
be a daunting one.

‘Il Toro’

File
Photo

DeLorenzi is a stellar 10-1.

Though Freire is likely regarded by most as the favorite heading
into the 155-pound quarterfinals, I suspect Bellator’s own Don
Flamenco might take exception to that view. Yes, I know Don
Flamenco is Spanish, just like I know Bald Bull is Turkish, just
like I know that DeLorenzi’s nickname means “The Bull.” Cut me some
slack.

Much like Freire, DeLorenzi loves to play the part of the hammer,
as he did in his pro debut against future Bellator talent Nordine
Taleb. However, it should be recognized that the 28-year-old
has rarely faced good competition since that debut, save for a 2009
meeting with
Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran War Machine
that resulted in the Quebecer getting strangled in the first
round.

Nevertheless, DeLorenzi has won five straight fights since his lone
career setback, most recently taking out Jonny
Carson in November in his first outing under the Bellator
banner.

DeLorenzi possess a myriad of sharp skills, but I think he could
find himself in trouble if he decides to punch with Freire. I am
not a fan of how high and stationary DeLorenzi holds his head while
winging shots -- a fault I believe “Pitbull” will look to exploit.
Still, if he is able to navigate the Brazilian’s powerful strikes
and get his hand raised, he would instantly become a known
commodity in front of more than half a million viewers.

Lots of Lightweights

The rest of this Season 8 field is so wide open that I barely even
know what to say.

If Alexander
Sarnavskiy and Thiago
Michel Pereira Silva fail to put on an enthralling kickboxing
display from range, it will be a tragedy. Both men are excellent
when standing in the pocket, and something tells me that neither
competitor will be interested in a ground battle, despite
possessing solid submission skills. While I think the Brazilian is
likely the more technical of the two, I would give a slight power
advantage to “Tiger,” especially in regard to his hands.

It would also be a mistake to miss David
Rickels’ collision with Lloyd
Woodard. While I think the first fight mentioned will probably
resemble a fencing match at times, I estimate there will be none of
that here. Instead, picture throwing a couple of starving
wolverines into a wooden crate with a half-eaten ham hock covered
in sausage gravy.

I would also be remiss if I failed to mention Will Brooks
and Ricardo
Tirloni. “Ill Will” looks to be a serious talent at 155 pounds,
thanks in no small part to his second-round demolition of Satoru
Kitaoka on New Year’s Eve in Japan. Unbeaten through eight
fights, Brooks possesses the type of well-rounded tools and
athleticism that could win him this tournament, unless Tirloni
derails his hype train before it leaves the station. The Brazilian
may not be the favorite in this field, but I think his fight with
Dave
Jansen in the Season 7 semis proved he can be a problem for
most anyone on the Bellator roster if the ball bounces his way.